How did Enlightenment ideas influence Italian journalism in the 18th century?

In the 18th century, Enlightenment ideas—or Illuminismo—profoundly shaped Italian journalism by fostering a spirit of inquiry into social and economic laws. As the influence of the Enlightenment spread from France, new periodicals emerged as vital platforms for debating political and moral reform.1

The most influential of these was Il Caffè (1764–66), founded by Pietro Verri and modeled after the English periodical The Spectator. It served as a hub for intellectual ferment, featuring contributions from thinkers like Cesare Beccaria, whose advocacy for criminal justice reform and the abolition of torture and the death penalty reflected the era's utilitarian focus on the "greatest good for the greatest number".12

Other journalists utilized the medium to provide social commentary and critique. Gasparo Gozzi used his periodicals, La Gazzetta Veneta and L’Osservatore, to chronicle daily life while offering practical moral guidance. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Baretti published La Frusta Letteraria ("The Literary Whip"), a critical journal that applied a rigorous, independent standard to contemporary literature.1